Vital Sunday: Young Folks Got No Religion

Amanda Marcotte recently wrote that 20% of Americans identify as religiously unaffiliated, making “none” the largest religious group in 13 states. The non-religious equal Catholics in number, and young people are by far the most non-religious group in the country and getting moreso. The millennial generation is actually grow less religious as they age.

“These changes explain the modern political landscape as well as any economic indicator. While not all white Christians are conservative, these changing numbers definitely suggest that conservative Christians are rapidly losing their grip on power. And while some non-white Christians are conservative, their numbers are not making up for what the Christian right is losing. And whether conservative leaders are aware of the exact numbers or not, it’s clear that they sense that change is in the air. Just by speaking to young people, turning on your TV, or reading the Internet, you can sense the way the country is lurching away from conservative Christian values and towards a more liberal, secular outlook. And conservative Christians aren’t taking these changes well at all.”